84 STORIES OF BIRDS AND BEASTS 



of their Old World brothers are thought to be, but say- 

 ing that I am a friend of Wolves and know all about 

 them that is quite a different matter." 



" A Wolf has no friends ; he is hated by twof oots 

 and fourfoots alike. As for knowing all about Wolves 

 we may know some things and think we know others, 

 but the comings and goings of a Wolf are as mysterious 

 as the track of the wind itself. They move from place 

 to place so suddenly and so swiftly that it would be 

 easy to believe they flew on the storm, as witches were 

 said to do on broomsticks." 



" Why do you say that some Wolves in other coun- 

 tries are thought to eat people don't you believe they 

 do ? " asked Nat. 



" They may sometimes, but it is best not to believe 

 all that is said about animals ; for there are a great 

 many of what Rap calls ' boast stories ' floating around, 

 especially about Wolves. The Wolf is one of the easi- 

 est animals to see doubled and hear quadrupled. One 

 may believe that a whole pack is outside the tent, bent 

 on tearing you limb from limb, or swallowing you, 

 sleeping blanket and all, when it is really only one 

 mangy starveling, sniffing about for scraps of bacon or 

 a bit of venison you have cached a little carelessly." 



" Cashed ! " said Nat. " I thought cash was money. 

 How could you make money out of meat, uncle ? " 



" Cached, with a <?, means hidden. It's a word that 

 came from the French, round by way of the Canadian 

 voyageurs. It is in common use in camp talk ; a cache 

 is a hiding-place. The Gray Squirrel, instead of cach- 

 ing his nuts all in one place as a Red Squirrel does, puts 

 each one in a separate cache." 



